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What Others Are Saying
About R.J. Patterson
“R.J. Patterson does a fantastic job at keeping you engaged and interested. I look forward to more from this talented author.”
- Aaron Patterson, bestselling author of SWEET DREAMS
“Patterson has a mean streak about a mile wide and puts his two main characters through quite a horrible ride, which makes for good reading.”
- Richard D., reader
“Like a John Grisham novel, from the very start I was pulled right into the story and couldn’t put the book down. It was as if I personally knew and cared about what happened to each of the main characters. Every chapter ended with so much excitement and suspense I had to continue to read until I learned how it ended, even though it kept me up until 3:00 A.M.
- Ray F., reader
DEAD SHOT
“Small town life in southern Idaho might seem quaint and idyllic to some. But when local newspaper reporter Cal Murphy begins to uncover a series of strange deaths that are linked to a sticky spider web of deception, the lid on the peaceful town is blown wide open. Told with all the energy and bravado of an old pro, first-timer R.J. Patterson hits one out of the park his first time at bat with Dead Shot. It’s that good.”
-Vincent Zandri, bestselling author of THE REMAINS
“You can tell R.J. knows what it’s like to live in the newspaper world, but with Dead Shot, he’s proven that he also can write one heck of a murder mystery.”
- Josh Katzowitz,
NFL writer for CBSSports.com
& author of Sid Gillman: Father of the Passing Game
DEAD LINE
“This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I didn’t really want to put it down. R.J. Patterson has hooked me. I’ll be back for more.”
- Bob Behler
3-time Idaho broadcaster of the year
and play-by-play voice for Boise State football
DEAD IN THE WATER
“In Dead in the Water, R.J. Patterson accurately captures the action-packed saga of a what could be a real-life college football scandal. The sordid details will leave readers flipping through the pages as fast as a hurry-up offense.”
- Mark Schlabach,
ESPN college sports columnist and
co-author of Called to Coach
Heisman: The Man Behind the Trophy
Other titles by R.J. Patterson
Ed Maddux thriller series
King of Queens
To Catch a Spy
Whispers of Treason
Brady Hawk series
Dead Shot
Dead Line
Better off Dead
Dead in the Water
Dead Man's Curve
Dead and Gone
Dead Wrong
Dead Man's Land
Dead Drop
Dead to Rights
Dead End
Dead on Arrival
James Flynn Thriller series
The Warren Omissions
Imminent Threat
The Cooper Affair
Seeds of War
Brady Hawk series
First Strike
Deep Cover
Point of Impact
Full Blast
Target Zero
Fury
State of Play
Siege
Seek and Destroy
Into the Shadows
Hard Target
No Way Out
Two Minutes to Midnight
Against All Odds
Any Means Necessary
Vengeance
Code Red
VENGEANCE
A Brady Hawk Thriller
R.J. PATTERSON
For Chad, a good friend,
a loyal soldier, and a great man
CHAPTER 1
Nuba Mountains, Sudan
WISPS OF DUST settled onto Brady Hawk’s lips as he peered through his binoculars at the target location below in a small ravine. Despite the milder December temperatures, Hawk’s mouth was still dry from nestling beneath a blind on the sandy ground. Sweat beaded on his forehead with the occasional drop breaking loose and streaking down his face. But for all his discomfort, staking out an enemy combatant allowed Hawk an opportunity to think about something else, anything else than the one painful memory that had dominated his thoughts for the past six months.
Losing his mother was difficult enough, but the brutal manner in which she was murdered stoked Hawk's determination to hunt down the animal who’d killed her and repay them. There was only one problem: there wasn't a single clue local law enforcement had gathered from the scene. Not a piece of fabric, not a strand of hair, not a drop of blood. Whoever murdered her not only was a professional but one of the best the Dallas Police Department had ever encountered. According to their initial and subsequent reports, the killer was highly trained and skilled. And with as much time passing as it had, Hawk was confident the case had already been relegated to the growing mountain of unsolved murders in the cold case files.
But the mission to Sudan was a welcome distraction to the numbing pain. Hawk also had a place to focus his ire until he learned the identity of his mother’s killer.
Hawk was accompanied by Titus Black, both men perched on opposing ridges about fifty meters above the valley floor, only a short sprint down the hill if their mission required it. But Hawk hoped this would be an easy mission—two shots and vanish into the wind.
Hawk had been in place for nearly two hours with barely a word uttered over his coms to either Alex or Black. There wasn’t much to say until the alleged meeting commenced.
The Phoenix Foundation had been closely monitoring the reemergence of Al Hasib, now called Al Fatihin under the direction of Evana Bahar. As Bahar used her fundraising expertise learned while leading a non-profit in London, she ran into problems moving funds through various banking systems. She wasn’t prepared for the constant freezing of her accounts or outright removal of small fortunes. Her attempt to correct this nagging issue was to contact South African diamond launderer Freddie Jacobs.
Jacobs was on scores of terrorist watch lists due to his close ties with several top cell leaders. His operation had slowed tremendously after getting raided on numerous occasions. Forced to deal in diamonds more honestly, he almost dropped off the radar after several years. But when Bahar reportedly reached out to him to set up a meeting with one of her top lieutenants Kahlid Salib, the U.S. intelligence community took notice. And the Phoenix Foundation found itself as the one tapped to snuff out this potential threat and serve yet another setback to Bahar and Al Fatihin.
“Any sign of them from your side?” Hawk asked.
“Negative,”
